Solitudo
by sapientis
Summary: AU 1x06.  'Tell me Nico, how does it feel being alone' This is my take on how Nico should have responded to Juliette's question. Dani/Nico.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I don't own any of the characters of Necessary Roughness. Its such a shame though because if I did Nico and Dani would definitely be together.

**AN:** Story is AU after a certain point in 1x06. ENJOY!

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><p><strong>NPOV<strong>

'_Tell me Nico, how does it feel being alone?'_

What made her say such a thing? I mean I am not alone. I have people that I care about and that care about me. The fact that I choose not to bring anyone into my life is my doing. There is only one person that I would consider and she is not aware of my feelings…yet. I hear buzzing coming from my leg and I move to answer the phone, its one of the wives. Time to make a house call.

**Santino Residence 1:51 am**

It seems all of my jobs make me come here. Does it have to do with the fact that I want to take her in my arms and do unspeakably good things to her? Not entirely but it makes up about 60% of my reasoning. Professionally speaking, she can get the job done very effectively. Looking at Shannon and tell her to stand aside to not attract attention to herself. I knock at the door, and wait for the lovely Dani Santino to answer the door, and I am not disappointed.

"Why can none of your emergencies happen at normal times of the day?" she pulls the door open and I can get a good look at her. She is standing in a robe that is hastily tied together, with sleep shorts barely visible underneath giving me a nice view of her legs. I make a point of looking at her before answering.

"Most of the team emergencies yes. Unless it's TK emergencies then no. However, this emergency couldn't wait." I motion to Shannon to step forward. Dani tells us to come inside and being the last one in I turn to close the door. Upon turning back around I notice I am directly behind Dani. A smirk evolves on my face. I lean in close to her ear, feeling her shiver as she feels my breath. It is good to know she's affected too. "Dr. Santino, as glorious as it is to see you looking as you do. I am quite positive that you might want to put on something less enticing and more normal for the sake of your patient." As I move my head back I "accidentally" brush my lips against the junction of her neck and shoulder, which causes her to lean her back against my chest. Thankfully the unexpected patient is blissfully unaware of the exchange that just happened, as she is more concerned with looking at the furniture in the study.

Dani gets a hold of herself and steps away from me. "Excuse me for just a minute, I'm just going to get on some more decent clothes. Would you like some coffee?" She asks the both of us before walking out of the room. I look at Shannon and she is deep in thought. I turn to look at Dani as she climbs the steps.

"Coffee or something stronger?" I ask as I lean against the doorframe.

She stops just where I can still see her. "Coffee will be fine. Anything stronger and I won't be able to do my job effectively." She goes to take a step up then stops. "Nico?" I look back up at her. "We are going to have to talk."

I raise an eyebrow in response. "How about after Shannon leaves?"

"She drove herself than?" I simply nod. "Good." She continues her trek to her bedroom, and I make my way to the kitchen to start the coffee.

"Well tonight should be interesting." I whisper to myself. Yes tonight will be the start to the end of my loneliness.

_**Meanwhile upstairs (DPOV)**_

What the HELL was that? Nico just came onto me. 'And you did nothing to stop him…' I am well aware of this fact. What can I say; he is a very attractive individual who I wouldn't mind getting to know better. 'So this is what you do. Keep the tank top on, put on some pants, leave your hair down, and act natural. It is obvious that he likes you. And with the way you responded to him, I would wager you feel the same.' When did life get so complicated? And why does my conscious sound like Jeanette? I go over to my closet and grab the first pair of jeans I see, which just so happens to be the skinny jeans Jeanette bought me the other day.

"I guess this could work." I say to myself as I slide into the jeans. Taking off my robe I decide to put on a shirt over my tank top, just in case. Looking at myself in my mirror just once, I head back downstairs to the study, where I find Shannon still sitting on the couch and Nico sitting in my chair with coffee in his hands. Stopping in the doorway I observe the air around the two occupants. Shannon is nervous and fidgeting. Something has happened that is throwing her off of her normal composition, and I can relate to that. Nico on the other hand has an air of smugness around him. He smirks while taking a sip of his coffee the only sign to show that he knows he's being watched. I walk into the room, straight for my chair and take the coffee out of Nico's hands.

"Thank you for my coffee. Now if you would be so kind, I have a patient to attend to." I point towards the door and see him get up. He makes a move to take the coffee and I move it out of his reach. "There are more cups in the kitchen." He lifts an eyebrow again, and then walks out of the study closing the doors behind him. I sit down in my chair, and take a sip of coffee then look at Shannon. "So, what happened tonight?"

45 minutes later

Shannon has left, and I am even more puzzled about what could be bothering her. I will have to wait to figure it out. Somehow I feel as though she is hiding something from me, a common theme it seems tonight. I pick up my now empty coffee mug and go to the kitchen. I am not surprised to see two glasses of wine set out on the island with Nico standing right behind it. He looks up at me as I enter the kitchen.

"Time to talk?" He asks before grabbing a bottle of Chardonnay and pouring a generous amount into each glass.

"I did say after Shannon left. When did you get so comfortable with my kitchen?" He stops and just gives me a look. "Right, moving on. What was going through your mind when you pulled that little stunt?" I reach across the island and grab one of the glasses, taking an indulgent sip.

He comes around the island to stand in front of me. "Were my actions not clear enough?"

I put my glass down with some force onto the island. "Damnit Nico. Stop with the vague answers and just tell me."

Nico finishes the rest of his wine and walks to the sink to clean his glass. His shoulders are tense while washing the glass, but then relax when he turns back to me. He walks back to me and stops. "You really don't know?" He asks. I shake my head. "Foolish doctor." He whispers then reaches one hand up and cups my cheek, while the other wraps around my waist to draw me closer to him. I meet his eyes and notice the softer quality in them. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, right now I see passion, honesty, loyalty, and…. love? He lowers his head bringing his lips dangerously close to mine stopping with very little space between our lips, giving me the opportunity to back out. In response to his unspoken question, I put my arms around his neck and close the small distance between us. It began as a soft, gentle kiss conveying the feelings of belonging and acceptance of new feelings, then evolved into one of passion as he licks my bottom lip. I open my mouth in response and a battle of tongues commences. My hands fly into his hair and his are running lines up and down my sides before taking permanent residence on my hips to bring us even closer together. When air becomes an issue I pull away, and Nico trails kisses down my neck, causing me to moan. I put my hands on his chest and push him away just a little.

"Dani I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize I am definitely not complaining." Not at all that man can kiss. "When did this start?"

He tightens his grip on my hips and brings me back towards his chest. "I want to say the day I met you. But they really evolved when the whole Matt/Laura fiasco happened. I knew that there had been something between you and Matt but I did not want to come between it. I would have been content with you being happy, even if it wasn't with me." He shifted us so he was leaning against the island with me standing between his legs. "However something happened tonight that made me think to take a chance." I lean up against his chest, placing my head on his shoulder, and he begins running a hand up and down my back. "Mr. Pittman's daughter asked me what it feels like to be alone. All I could think about is how I want that feeling to end. I wasn't planning on coming here tonight, but when Shannon called me I knew that this would be my chance. Hopefully that explains my actions. I am not very good at the whole talking business, that's your job. But I have been told that actions speak louder than words."

I laugh at his last statement. "Actions are more powerful in saying what you mean. And if I would have known how you felt, this could have happened awhile ago."

"Really?" I could hear the unasked question in his voice.

"You cannot honestly tell me that you are an unattractive man who appeals to every woman's idea of a bad boy? Seriously it like oozes off of you like pheromones. That being said, the first night you showed up at my house you caught my attention. And even though there was the whole me and Matt dynamic you still intrigued me greatly. I am glad you waited though." He wraps his arms around me holding me to him.

"Why is that?" He lays his cheek against the top of my head.

"Because now I am free to be whoever I want. No Matt, no Ray…just Dani." I turn my head to look at the time on the microwave. "Nico, you realize it is three o'clock in the morning right?"

He sighs and loosens his hold around me. I look up at him and he places a chaste kiss on my forehead. "I should get going." He pulls away and I groan at the loss of contact, causing Nico to smile. "You'll see me in a few hours at work." He grabs my hand and brings me with him to the front door. Pulling me in close to him he gives me a gentle yet passionate kiss, before taking the keys out of his pocket and opening the door. "Goodnight Dani, I'll see you in the morning." I smile at him and am rewarded with another quick kiss.

"Goodnight Nico." I stay by the door while he gets into his car and drives away. Still smiling I close the door and lock up the house for the night. I can't help but think that tonight was a great night, hopefully tomorrow will be even better now that I have something to look forward to.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> I have to say that I really like Nico. He has that whole "I don't care what you think attitude" and that works for him...or maybe its just that Scott Cohen is a god among men. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it. Leave me a review, flames are welcomed too (and will be used to fuel my chemistry projects).


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thanks to Diavoloduchessa, I've decided that I'll write a story for each episode starting from episode 6 onwards. (Hint read the first chapter). Honestly, Dani and Nico seem like a much more compatible couple, and they would be amazing together. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the stories interesting and in character (as much as possible, although when I think of Nico, one of my good friends actions come to mind; therefore there could be some OOC-ness from Nico since I'm incorporating my friends actions as well). So…without further ado I give you the AU version of episode 7.

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><p>NPOV<p>

It's been about two hours since Matt and I have decided that Laz needs to be taken care of, and I am at a loss of how to proceed. His methods are unconventional and he causes implosions in a team setting. This could come down to following his credentials and finding something that is questionable enough to take him out the picture.

Tired of not getting anything done, I grab my phone off my desk, and send a text to Matt telling him that I'll be doing research from a different location. I shut down my computer and grab my coat off of the rack, before closing and locking my door, then head out of my office and make a beeline for my car with a destination in mind.

About 20 minutes later, I pull up to a nice suburban house. I get out of the car and I hear voices in the back, so I walk towards the noise.

"He agreed to go to AA, and he wants to talk to you." I see Dani say to a young man. The young man is tall, with dirty blonde hair, and he looks nervous. Almost as though he doesn't know what to expect. He turns away from Dani and walks through the study door to greet another young man. Dani looks at the two men in the study before sighing.

I lean up against the side of her house just to watch her for a little while longer. She was so focused that I couldn't resist. "You know TK has decided to focus more on football and training." She jumps a little before looking over her shoulder at me.

"Could not resist could you, Mr. Careles?" She is standing before me with her arms crossed. "I have to say I am surprised that you are here during the day, I have become accustomed to your spontaneous night visits." She gives a sly smile.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "I could change that Dr. Santino. However, what would your neighbors say? Seeing a car parked at your house at odd hours of the night?" I run a hand down her arm and feel her shiver. I glance up at the young men and find them still engaged in conversation, I stand up straight, grab Dani's hand, and pull her to the relative safety of the side of her house. "Now that I have you away from the prying eyes of society…" I lean down to give her a quick kiss on her cheek, which causes her to groan in disappointment.

"Nico…" Never one to leave someone disappointed, I lean back down and give her the passionate kiss she so desires. I wrap one arm around her resting my hand on her lower back in order to bring her closer to me. My other hand finds itself in her hair holding us together. When air becomes necessary, I nip at the expanse of her neck while letting her catch her breath.

"Good afternoon Dr. Santino" I whisper in her ear. The hand that lodged itself in her hair travels down to her waist to join with its partner. During this exchange, her hands have found their way to my chest, where they are making small patterns.

She sighs in contentment. "A very good afternoon Mr. Careles." She looks up at me. "Was there something you needed?"

I brush a strand of hair out of her face. "Is it a crime for me to seek out a beautiful woman?" She squints at me.

"Flattery gets you nowhere."

"Interesting. I've always been told flattery gets you everywhere. No? Well then I came here to inform you that we are going to be running an investigation on Laz" I say that name with such distaste that she smiles. "Matt and I both feel as though he is pushing the boundaries moreso than TK would have. Even though his methods did stop TK's partying, we are worried about how he is going to affect the rest of the team." I pull away from her and run a hand through my hair. "I found that his methods has resulted in multiple team fights with his past customers. The Hawks have been working hard to keep their reputation clean, and this would be the worse thing to happen to us."

"And you are here because?"

"Because I wanted to see you. And I figured you would be able to help me. Who better to help than a therapist." I look towards the back as I hear the voices of the gentlemen coming towards us. Dani walks to shake their hands. The blonde haired one gives her a hug, and I have to hold down the jealous growl that threatens to escape from me. The other young man is thankfully more reserved and settles for a smile. As they walk past me, Dani calls my name and motions to the house. Eager to spend more time with her I follow her in, closing the door to the study behind me. She opens the door to the hallway and I continue to follow her to the kitchen.

"It seems like every time I come over here, we end up in the kitchen. This is a bit intriguing don't you think?" She grabs two wine glasses in response and the unfinished bottle of Chardonnay from my last visit a few days prior.

"Maybe I am subtly hinting that you should cook me dinner?" She tells me while pouring the wine.

I laugh in response. "Just say the word and I will." She looks at me with wide eyes.

"You can cook?" I nod and grab the glass she slid to me. "Is there anything you can't do?"

I take a moment to take a sip of wine, then look back at her and smirk. "Nothing comes to mind. What are your thoughts on Laz?"

She tilts her head to the side in thought. "You said he has a record for causing locker room fights, right? Since you are the security guy, maybe you should get the approval to install an audio feed in the locker room. That way any talk that goes on between the players can be monitored to prevent such a thing from happening. You also need to tell the Coach Purnell that Laz should stay outside of the training facility. The less that he is in contact with TK and the other players, the less likely there will be a confrontation."

I smile at her and raise my glass in approval, before noticing the silence in the house. "Where are the kids?"

Dani put her glass on the island. "Jeanette took them to dinner then the movies to spend time with them before she leaves."

"Leaves?"

"To Barcelona." She wraps her arms around herself. "She is going with a man that she has been seeing. Its just…I feel like she is leaving me after she helped me become whole again." From where I was standing, I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I walk around the island and gather her in my arms to hold her as she cries.

I kiss the top of her head. "I will be here to help you remain whole. I just found you Dani Santino, and I'm not ready to let you go."

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><p>Okay so thats two chapters in the span of about 12 hours. Just to let everyone know, I am used to being up at odd hours of the day, so updates might be at odd hours as well. Keep the reviews coming...seriously anonymous reviews count too.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hurray for filler chapters! So this idea came to me while swimming and I just had to write it down. The first two chapters I've been playing on the softer side of Nico that was shown when dealing with Juliette, in this chapter not so much. I figured too much OOC for Nico could be problematic and the reason that he is such an appealing character is due to his mystery, therefore I tried to capture his true character a bit more. Hopefully you'll enjoy it!

Oh..and sadly enough I don't own any of the characters (minus Kerstan and Max who may or may not stay in the story).

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><p>Within the office of one Nico Careles, Hawks head of security, a phone rings.<p>

"Careles"

"_Mr. Careles, we have a problem. There is a man here refusing to leave until he speaks to Dr. Santino. He has no authorization to be on the premises and the only two options we had were to call you or call the police."_

"Interesting. If you would please escort him to my office, I'll take care of him myself." Nico hangs up his phone and goes to meet the unannounced visitor and his escort in the hallway. "Thank you for bringing him in. Now sir may I ask who you are?"

The man stands a bit taller, and Nico can't help but look at him. The man was about his height, a little on the hefty side, black hair with brown eyes, and immaculately dressed. "The name is Ray Santino. I'm here to see my wife."

Nico glares at the man once he gives his name then raises an eyebrow at his demand. "Excuse me Mr. Santino, but I was under the impression that you and the doctor have gotten a divorce." Ray stiffens at the accusatory tone Nico is using. "Since you have not been forthcoming with your intentions, I will give you one more opportunity. What are you doing here?" Nico takes a step closer to Ray as means of intimidation, which not surprisingly works.

"I-i-I j-just need t-to talk to he-e-r." Ray stutters.

"I am sure that anything you have to say to her could have waited until after she returns to her house. So I'll ask one last time, what are you doing here?" Any person in their right mind would have picked up on the edge in Nico's voice.

Ray, offended by Nico's blatant dismissal, stamps down his intimidation and gives Nico a look of suspicion. "Any thing that I have to say to my _wife_ is private and has nothing to do with you. I'm sure…"

"_Ex_-wife Ray." Dani says interrupting their conversation. "What are you doing here?" she asks him. "And why are you having this conversation in the middle of the hallway? I'm sure that there are plenty of good offices that you could use. Nico your office is right behind us. Shall we move this party there?" She glares at Ray before giving Nico an apologetic look. Not waiting for an answer she walks past Ray and Nico heading straight for the open office. Nico quickly falls into step with her placing his right hand on her lower back in a show of silent support.

Upon seeing the movement Ray is filled with anger and jealousy, but wisely waits until after the door has closed behind him to say something. "And just what the HELL was that? I come here to see you, and what do I get? Some lunatic security guy asking me about my wi…." Nico glares at him. "Ex-wife, then pulling a fast one on her."

Dani squints at Ray, and then looks at Nico. She notices that his jaw is tightened and his posture is very closed off. 'Not good for Ray.' Looking back over at Ray she sighs. "No one asked you to show up here Ray. Why are you here?" she crosses her arms waiting for an answer.

"I tried calling you but you wouldn't pick up. I wanted to take the kids to dinner tonight, you know spend some time with them."

"We already have plans for the night Ray. And you can't just come barging into my job when things aren't going your way. I no longer have to explain my actions to you."

"Dani, I…" Ray began.

Dani holds up her hand, stopping him from continuing. "You don't get to apologize. I've had enough. When you want to have the kids during your scheduled time, that's fine. But don't try to interrupt the time that I have with them. Now I think its time for you to leave." Dani looks over to Nico and asks him to call security to escort Ray out.

After waiting in an uncomfortable silence for five minutes, the security guard who brought Ray in shows up, grabs him by the elbow, and leads him out of the office. Nico goes to shut his door and puts his back against it.

"That was unexpected." Dani nods. "What made you come down here?" he asks before putting his hands in his pocket.

Dani takes a few steps closer to him, still leaving room for 'professional courtesy.' "Well I was wondering what you were doing tonight. You see Ray Jay, Linds, and I are going to dinner then a movie. Both are bringing 'mom-approved' dates, so I figured I should bring my own." She finishes with a smile.

Nico gives her a smile in response. "I'll clear my schedule then." He pauses, steps away from the door, and looks at her more intently. "Are you okay? I know that Ray showing up here is probably taking a toll on you."

"I'm fine. Thanks for the concern Nico. So I'll see you at 5?" Nico nods in approval and Dani reaches behind him to open the door. As she is leaving his office, she hears him call her name and turns to look at him.

"How about we go to a theater of my choosing? I don't want Ray," he says with distaste "showing up because you wanted to go to the theater that is right next to your house. It is a good thing to branch out every once in a while Dani." He smiles at her as he finishes.

She laughs in response. "You know what Nico, one of these days I am going to learn everything there is to know about you."

A wolfish grin appears on Nico's face. "I look forward to the day, Dr. Santino. I will see you at five." Satisfied with the exchange, Dani turns back around before heading to the Coach's office to see about the newest TK problem.

_**4:45 pm- Santino residence**_

"Mom what are we waiting for?" Lindsay shouts up the stairs.

Dani walks to the top of the stairs and looks at her daughter. "I am waiting for someone Linds," there is a knock on the door behind Lindsay. "Open the door will you? I have to grab my shoes."

Lindsay rolls her eyes and turns to answer the door. "I swear if its that Matt character that her and Jeanette talk about I will…" she opens the door and is surprised to see Nico standing there. "Hi Mr. Security guy. Um…was there something you needed from my mom?"

Nico smirks at Lindsay's discomfort. "No Miss Santino, your mother should be expecting me. May I come in?"

Lindsay's eyes go wide then she opens the door further to let him in. As Nico steps in, Lindsay makes a beeline to the kitchen where Ray Jay, his date, and her date are sitting. Spotting Ray Jay she pulls him into the hallway. "Ray Jay, we have a problem.." she whispers.

Looking quite annoyed with his sister, he crosses his arms over his chest. "Really Lindsay? What could be so bad that you pulled me away from a good conversation with Kerstan?"

Lindsay points down the hallway to Nico, and Ray Jay follows her motion. "We didn't do anything this time" he whispers to Lindsay. "Look how about this, we act like ourselves, apologize for the party, and make the best of tonight? He seems like a reasonable type of guy, but I really don't want to get on his bad side. And who know Linds he might be cool." He puts his hand on Lindsay's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze of support.

They both hear their mom coming down the stairs and move into the kitchen just enough that they won't be noticed. They see their mom strike up conversation with the 'security guy' and see him smile before giving her a small kiss on her lips. Both kids gasp at the gesture and move further into the kitchen. Ray Jay has a big grin on his face and Lindsay looks contemplative. Noticing his sister's uncertainty Ray Jay pulls her into a hug.

"Just because its not dad, doesn't mean that mom shouldn't be happy. Who knows Linds, this might be the guy that helps mom break out of her shell. We'll just watch them tonight, and if mom is happy we should let her be happy." Ray Jay whispers into her ear. He pulls back from the hug and smiles at his sister. "Come on, we have dates that we have been neglecting." The siblings detach from each other and head over to their dates. Conversation between the two couples start up again, until Dani walks into the kitchen with Nico behind her.

Looking at her kids, she smiles. "Kids, this is Nico." She pushes him forward a bit. "Nico this is Lindsay, her date Max, Ray Jay, and his date Kerstan."

Ever the gentleman Nico shakes hands with all of the kids. "Nice to meet all of you."

"So are we ready to go?" Shouts of approval sound through the kitchen. "Alright, so Ray Jay I guess you'll follow us?" He nods. "Good. So where to go for dinner?"

"Pizza and brew?" Ray Jay asks looking at the other teens. They smile in response. "Pizza and brew it is mom."

Lindsay excited for her date with Max, sends in a tweet. _'Heading to Pizza and Brew for date night. Ray Jay is excited for mom...I guess I'll see how it all plays out'_

The party of 6 moves out of the kitchen to grab coats, shoes, and other accessories for their night out. Once everyone is all ready to go, Dani ushers them out of the house and turns around to lock the door. Nico offers her his arm, which she takes with a smile, and escorts her to the passenger side of his car. He opens the door for her with a slight bow then waits for her to get in before closing the door and making his way to his side of the car. On the other side of the driveway, the two Santino kids share a smile on the actions of one Mr. Nico.

Dinner was a lovely affair especially since Nico convinced Dani to let the kids sit with their dates on their own. When Dani and Nico reached their table and got comfortable, Nico asked her what was wrong.

Dani startled out of her thoughts looks at her hands, which are sitting on the table. "My kids are growing up. I was expecting some sort of resistance with you coming with me tonight, but there has been none." She said with a sad smile. "Its just heartwarming and saddening at the same time to know that they are dealing with the situation that they have been put through."

Nico reaches out and places a hand on her hands gently loosening her grip enough for him to hold one of her hands. "There could have been some resistance for Lindsay, but your son took care of that." Dani's eyes meet his in a questioning stare. "That's a conversation you need to have with them. Let's just enjoy the night, and hope everything goes for the best." He squeezes her hand and conversation between the two of them progress into less stressful topics.

About halfway through dinner, the couple receives their second shock of the day. It seems as though Ray has made his way to the restaurant. After seeing him making his way over, Nico tenses and moves away from Dani, who stops him with a tightening of her grip on his hand.

Ray strolls right up to the table and slams his hand down. "Who the hell do you think you are? I already told you once today about your actions towards Dani. Is this going to be a problem for you? You know what just do me a favor and leave my family and my wife alone." He finishes looking Nico dead in the eye. The restaurant is completely quiet, and sometime during the spectacle, the two young couples that accompanied Dani and Nico made their way to them.

Nico stands so that he is eye level with Ray. "Mr. Santino, if you would allow us to take this outside, I am sure that any problems you have regarding my character can and will be settled." Ray doesn't move, and Nico sighs. "Have it your way. First off, Dani is your EX-wife. Something that you yourself were the cause of. Any time that I spend with Dani is between the two of us. I do not have to tolerate your thinly veiled accusations against my person. Any intention that I have towards Dani and your kids are honorable and are for their best interest." Nico sits back down next to Dani. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to return to." Nico just barely turns his head when he sees a first coming his way. Luckily he is fast enough to catch the fist before it connects. Holding Ray's fist in his hand he stands back up and put pressure on the fist. Seeing Ray buckle under the pressure, Nico twists his arm behind his back and slams Ray flat on his stomach on the table. Nico leans down in his ear. "You do not want to mess with me. When I let you go I suggest that you take a moment to apologize for your actions and leave before I get really upset." Nico stands up and slowly lets Ray up.

Ray straightens out his clothes and looks at the family that he lost. "I am sorry for causing such a scene." Looking over at Nico, Ray notices his serious expression. "It will not happen again." Without another glance up at the people he cares for, Ray turns around and flees the restaurant.

Ray Jay, being shocked, looks at Nico in some sort of awe. "Why didn't you punch him back?"

Nico looks over at Ray Jay. "There was no need to make a bigger scene. I thought I handled the situation pretty well."

Ray Jay starts clapping in amusement. "Well bravo." He looks at his mom. "He has my approval mom. Since the fun is over, can we leave now? We still want to see the movie."

Dani meets Nico's eyes, and without breaking eye contact tells the kids to go on to the movies without them. Nico walks up to her and places his arm around her shoulders bringing her against his chest. His other hand sneaks around her waist holding her in place while she gets her emotions under control.

Ray Jay and Lindsay look at the two adults and smile. "You see Lindsay, he is going to be the one to take care of us and mom. He's a good guy. And mom likes him." Ray Jay whispers to his sister.

Lindsay keeps looking at the hugging adults until they pull apart. "Hey Ray Jay, I know that I miss dad, but I would've punched him back."

Ray Jay just laughs. "Give Nico a chance Lindsay, him and mom will thank you. Remember a happy mama Santino means happy baby Santinos."

The siblings share a knowing smile before grabbing their dates and leaving the two adults alone. Regardless of the turn of events, both are thinking to themselves how awesome it is that Nico wants to protect their mom from their dad.

Ray Jay looks over his shoulder one last time. "Be happy mom, you deserve it." He whispers to himself before putting on his coat and heading out into the night.

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><p><strong>Sage:<strong> Good? Bad? Normal? As you can see I really don't like Ray...he is an extremely unlikeable character with questionable morals. But I digress. Ray Jay is portrayed to be a bit more mature, for the sheer fact that he has mentioned in the show reading his moms books. I figured he would put his knowledge to use at some point, so why not in this chapter? Leave me a review please!


	4. Chapter 4

Sage: First off, thanks for all the reviews and alerts on the story! They really make my day seeing them, and help me to stay on focus to continue writing. Um the downside of this week, is that where I live has been majorly affected by mother nature, and writing has not been a priority. (if anyone felt the earthquake, I live 7 miles away from where the epicenter was). And now we are being evacuated to "higher ground" for the hurricane. On the plus side, I will now have all weekend to write a good next chapter :]

Oh this chapter is going to be a little different as its from Dani's POV

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><p>Laying on the patient couch in my study, I often find myself looking around and seeing the life that I have constructed for myself. There's the "nice, flower print" chairs that Talis said makes me seem as though I don't fight. But really it's the opposite. I fight the hardest sitting in this chair. Being a therapist means that the toughest battles are going to be me versus my patient's subconscious, a fight that is excruciatingly painful for all the parties involved. And yet I wouldn't change it for the world. After reflecting on my flower chairs, I do another sweep of my study and my gaze lands on my zebra print chair. To me this shows that, like my room, I have character. They always say that the place we spend the most time in represents us. My study is a perfect mesh of me. It shows that I am a fighter, that I am human, but most importantly it shows that experiences have made me a better person.<p>

"Clearly I've been drinking too much wine if I have been reflecting on my study for the past 15 minutes. " I speak to the ceiling above me.

"Personally I find it to be a room of impeccable taste." Came the reply.

I sit up and look to the door to see Nico standing there, hands in his pocket, gazing around at the room that takes up so much of my time. Today he is dressed in dark blue jeans, a white button up, a black blazer, and one of his many pairs of black dress shoes. I don't know where he gets his clothes from, but he ALWAYS looks good.

"Impeccable taste you say?" I raise an eyebrow at him. "Much like your clothes show that you have impeccable taste?"

He looks down at what he's wearing then glances up with his eyes full of amusement. "What do my clothes have to do with anything?"

Bringing my legs up on the couch to sit cross-legged I pat the seat next to me in invitation, which Nico takes almost immediately. "My study is a reflection of my life. Its organized, but still has characteristics that make me…well me. From the chairs to the jar of jellybeans, everything is an important piece of who I am." I turn my head to look at Nico, who is looking around the room. "As for your clothes, I can't help but wonder if it is the same thing. You said you were a Seal, which means that professionalism is always a big thing for you. Before you told me that, I assumed you were associated with the Mafia in some way." He looks at me and opens his mouth. I cover his mouth with my hand and he raises an eyebrow at me, while simultaneously squinting. "I know that you have told me that the details of who you associate with cannot be discussed, and I understand. But you would tell me if I asked right?"

He reaches up and removes my hand from his mouth, his handsome features full of concern. Seeing his intense look, I look down at our clasped hands. His other hand goes under my chin to make me look at him. "Where is this coming from?"

I sigh and tighten my hold on his hand. "I find myself questioning the motives of the people who love us." I see him smile slightly at my word choice and can't help but smile back before returning to my contemplative, serious face. "Recently, a mother kept something so crucial from her child that the child was essentially having a breakdown. I get that the mother wanted to protect her child, but there is a fine line between knowing and speculation….I just don't want to get a call one day that you aren't coming back from a 'meeting' that you told me about." I let go of his hand and go stand by the windows. I can sense the unease in him just by me bringing up a subject that I know is sensitive for me. The room settles into a silence, the unspoken question lingering in the air, just waiting for an answer. I hear him get up and walk to the door on the other side of the room. I take in a deep breath and wait. The door closes, and I don't know whether to be happy or disappointed. I settle for neither and stare out the window at the misleading perfectness of the day.

I feel an arm wrap around my waist and a strong chest settle on my back. "You might want to sit down for this conversation. My life hasn't been easy, which means that any conversation concerning it is going to be twice as difficult. But I swear to you that I will tell you everything as best as I can." He places a kiss on the back of my head and pulls away enough to grab my arm and bring me to the couch with him. He settles his back on the far arm of the couch and places my back against his chest again, effectively trapping me in a Nico-shaped prison of arms.

"You asked me where I was from before and I told you Philadelphia." I snuggle into his chest more to get comfortable and I feel him chuckle. "Well I am from Philadelphia but I have family here in New York that I spent a lot of time with. When I got out of the service I was lost. My life had dramatically changed. The Seals trained me to be a killer, but they never trained me for the situations that the world outside of the war zone would bring. My uncle Dalmazio is one of the mob bosses." I gasp at this admission. "Yes I know you were right to some extent, but not entirely. Uncle Maz took me under his wing, and taught me how to deal with situations. The way that I make people 'disappear' as you say is really me pushing them to a place that better suits their interests. I could never fully follow the teachings of my uncle. When he found that what I was doing, he asked me to do one simple job for him; he wanted me to do the same thing that the Seals wanted me to do, be a killer. I told him that if he were truly my family he wouldn't ask me to do such a thing." Nico tightened his hold on me. "That was the day my uncle told me that there was nothing else he could teach me. It was a test. All of it was a test to see how far I got before I would deny him." He stopped and I can hear him breathing hard. I run my hand along his arm. "Do you know how close I was to killing that man? I had my shot lined up and my finger was on the trigger. I couldn't do it after I saw his son playing in another room in the house. I noticed I was going to be killing a man who I knew nothing about. I couldn't be that man. In the service, we knew who we were targeting, what deeds they had done, and any other intel that would make them less favorable. After that, he taught me to be a respectable man in society. The 'meetings' that I go to are lunches with my uncle. He often meets with me to make sure I am coping with life. He checks up on me. Actually he was the one who referred me to Marshall Pittman. One of his old bodyguards was one of my uncles best. He found the job to be too demanding, dealing with the team, Pittman's other interests, and his daughter. My uncle pulled him and told Pittman about me, two days later, I am sitting in Pittman's office beginning what will be the rest of my life." He finishes with a deep breath and moves his arms to my waist. Giving him a few seconds to recover from his story, I turn around so that we are chest to chest and look at him.

I put my hand on his face and he leans into my touch. "What about your time in the Seals?"

He closes his eyes briefly before opening them to look at me with uncertainty. "I can't tell you much about that. Like I said I was a trained killer. I started off as a footman. Carrying the guns, loading them, often times was one of the first to volunteer for the recon missions. After about 5 years in, I was the fastest moving Seal promotion wise, and the world was laid at my feet. I was a Seal team leader for less than 24-hours when I lost my first man. Him and I had been footmen together in the same division, and when I got my team he requested to move with me. We were working recon in Qatar, when we were hit with gunfire from all over. There was not enough time to take cover, but we responded quickly and with a greater gunfire force. When everything was settled, we did roll call and he was missing. A private found him lying on the ground with a child crying over him. It was the single most heartbreaking moment of my life." I see tears coming down his face and I wipe them away. "I hardened my heart after that Dani. I couldn't stand to get to know anyone else that was going to be working with me, in case something like that ever happened. For the rest of my career I was known as the proud, aloof, Seal team 'general' that everyone both feared and admired. My last tour, I lost half of my team during an invasion of our camp overseas. I wasn't conscious when the invasion ended, but when I woke up, I was in a hospital in Germany being treated for multiple gunshot wounds and being told that my time as a Seal was reaching a close. The day I retired, I was given the Purple Heart, the Medal of Honor, and the Navy Distinguished Service Award. That night I got on a plane and came to New York."

"And that's where your uncle stepped in?" I ask laying my head down on his chest to listen to his heart beat. One of my hands finds itself attached to his shirt next to my head. He reaches a hand up and entwines our hands, and his other hand moves to my lower back.

"Yes. But I can't help but to be grateful to him. If he hadn't stepped in, who knows where I would be." He looks down at me and untangles our hands to move my hair. "I wouldn't be here right now, and that would be tragic in my book." I life my head and notice the emotions clearly written on his face, a mix of guilt, regret, but most importantly love.

"I am glad you are here Nico."

"I am too Dani."

_**Later that day: Hawks Training Facility **_

Matt just pulled me aside to congratulate me on TK's big speech about changing. I tell him that it wasn't me, but all TK. As I am saying that I can't help but wonder what Nico said to TK to make him want to change. Nico told me something happened to TK while he was in Miami, I guess I will find out in therapy. Matt starts talking and I hear my phone go off, interrupting the conversation.

**I'm almost to the building, are you ready? –Nico**

A smile erupts on my face.

"Who was that?" Matt asked curiously.

I start typing my response and answer with Nico.

"Is there something going on with you and Nico?"

I put my phone away and squint up at Matt. "I am not going to lie to you Matt, you deserve better than that. Yes there is something going on between me and Nico." I hold up my hand when he tries to interrupt. "I realize what I told you, and I didn't expect to fall for Nico. A wise woman once told me that we can't help who we fall for, so why not help our heart and surrender to its desires. I liked you Matt, I truly did. But when Laura came back, you gave up the fight. And I'm glad you did. I found someone who understands me and loves all aspects of my life. So yes, I have Nico, but you have Laura. I have another shot at happiness Matt, you should be happy for me." I see his look over my shoulder and glare.

"Nico" he says gruffly.

"Matt" Nico replies. I turn to look at Nico and smile. He's wearing black jeans with an emerald sweater today. He stops his silent conversation with Matt, who nods his head and then smiles at us. "You ready to go Dani?"

"I am." I put my hand on Matt's arm. "Thanks for understanding."

"Go be happy Dani. As much as I wish it was me, Nico is the better choice." Nico holds out his hand, which I take, and pulls me to his side, entangling our fingers. I grab my purse from the floor (I have no idea how it got there), and we walk out of the building.

We get to the sleek black Lincoln and Nico guides me to the passenger door. "Are you ready to meet Uncle Maz?" He asks trapping me between his muscular body and the car.

I raise an eyebrow at his actions. "The question is, if your uncle is ready to meet me?" He swoops down and gives me a passionate, toe-curling kiss then pulls back and trails butterfly kisses from my jaw to my neck.

"He's wanted to meet you since the first day I met you." He loosens his hold on me and walks to his side of the car. "Move it Santino, we have a deadline to meet."

I glare at him over the roof of the car before getting into my seat. "Be glad that you are devilishly handsome, Mr. Careles. Otherwise I wouldn't put up with your antics." His laughter fills the car as we drive out of the parking lot.

While I don't know what this dinner is going to bring, but what I do know is that the man that I am falling hard for is going to be there with me every step of the way, and possibly every step of my future as well.

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><p>Sage: Whoa…talk about emotional. So the history that I used for Nico is partially true about my dad, different branch, and different scenarios but essentially the same. The mafia background I'm chalking up to spontaneity. I think I like writing in Dani's perspective a lot more. I feel as though I can easily follow her train of thought and her deep characterization the best. As for the chapters, I am going to do a chapter loosely based on the episode and a sort of filler chapter to follow. The next chapter should be up by Monday (weather permitting). Please review! I really like getting alerts of all kinds, but reviews are like music for the soul, they fuel my writing!<p> 


	5. Author's Note

Hey everyone just an update:

I am terribly sorry that this is not an actual chapter, but this past week has been pretty bad. Last Saturday Hurricane Irene hit and my area was severely affected, a generator blew up in my face leaving me with 2nd degree burns, but I did save a few animals from the storm. Everything has a plus side I guess.

I just got power back last night, and am working as fast as possible to write a few chapters just to catch up to the current episode. Hopefully, I can have something posted tomorrow night, so keep an eye out for a new chapter.

-Sage


	6. Chapter 5

**Sage:** So I'm back with another chapter. Posting this means I've made it through the mini apocalypse that has been plaguing Virginia. Alrighty then…this is the filler chapter, and as a warning to everyone there is going to be a small bit of linguistics going on in this chapter. I'll have the translations after the chapter is finished. Right so without further ado, I give you chapter 5.

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><p>The drive from the Hawks facility to Manhattan wasn't too bad, especially if you take into account that the normal 20-minute drive actually took only 20 minutes. Now I'm not sure if it's because Nico was driving ridiculously fast or just that he took a different route than what I normally do. The car starts to slow and I look at the building that we pull up to. It's a nice building, and by building I mean mansion. Its enormous, but then again I shouldn't be surprised since Nico said his uncle is part of the mafia. He stops at a gate and puts in a pass code that gives him access to the whole estate. When the gate opens up, I can appreciate the house more. It's an older building, with early 19th century Spanish aspects visible in the windows and the brickwork. The main entrance of the house has two rows of 3 pillars each holding a beautifully designed Spanish roof.<p>

I glance over at Nico. "So this is where your uncle lives huh?"

Nico smirks. "He's not very subtle. But most of the people in this neighborhood think he's Spanish royalty, not a mob boss." He pulls the car into a parking garage and turns it off then turns to me. "My uncle knows about you Dani. Once I mentioned your name, he did some research, and well he knows more than you think. So if he mentions something out of the ordinary, just know that the only thing that I've told him is your name and my feelings for you." I look over at him and he seems so concerned about this meeting, that I grab his hand and squeeze it in a comforting manner. He lets out a breath and nods. We both get out of the car and are cornered by two men.

One of the guys is taller with brown hair, hazel eyes and looks very familiar. The other man looks like and older version of Nico. He's tall, with black hair streaked with white, dressed impeccably, and with a closed off expression. Like I said an older version of Nico.

"Bienvenidos a la casa Careles." The older man says. I look at Nico with a confused expression.

"Hola Tio. Inglés por favor, Señorita Santino solomente habla Inglés y Italiano." He says with a smile before going up to hug the older man. "Tio this is Danielle Santino." He gestures for me to come over to him. "Dani this is my uncle Dalmazio Careles."

I reach out to shake his hand, but am pulled into a tight hug. "Its uh nice to meet you Mr. Careles." Unsure of how to react, I awkwardly return the hug. He lets me go and I look over to see Nico laughing silently.

"Please..Dani?" I nod dazed by his strong Spanish accent. "Mr. Careles was my father, call me Mazio." He motions over my shoulder and the other man steps forward. "I believe you have met JD before. He used to teach at the university."

The other man reaches for my hand, and places a kiss on the back of it. "I could never forget a person as beautiful as you Dani." I hear Nico growl next to me, and am filled with relief that someone else is as uncomfortable with this man as I am. "Calmate hermano. I was just remarking on her beauty. Tio, te veo." And with that he turns and leaves the three of us standing together.

I look at the door that JD just went through then back at Nico. "Does anyone else feel creeped out by him?" Nico and his uncle laugh at me, and I stand there glaring at both of them. I let them calm down enough before asking to be shown to the bathroom to wash my hands, which sends them into another bout of laughter.

Nico puts his hand on the small of my back to lead me into the house. Mazio walks next to me, trying to bring down his laughter, as we get further into the garage and closer to the house.

"Mijo, don't let this one go. I haven't seen you laughing like that since you were younger." Mazio looks over at Nico and I can see the love that he has for his nephew reflected on his face. I wrap my arm around Nico and give me a side hug of support. His uncle smiles and opens the door in front of us.

The inside of the house looks like something out of a magazine. Everything is perfectly matched with each other. All the furniture has the traditional style that is typical of the era that the house was built in. Mazio leads us to what he calls the wine room, and I'm pretty sure my mouth is on the floor. The room is enormous, maybe about the size of my entire downstairs. Three of the four walls are filled with wine racks and arranged by the year and type of wine. The fourth wall houses a couch flanked by a recliner of each side, and a table in the middle. Mazio turns to me and chuckles.

"Nico told me that you were a fan of wine, so naturally I though to bring you here first. You can pick any wine" he gestures to the entire room. "Then we will take it with us for dinner. Nico is cooking tonight, so we are in for a treat."

When Mazio gestured to the room I slowly began walking to the racks, but when he said Nico was cooking I had to stop and redirect my interest back to the two men behind me. I point at Nico. "YOU are cooking?" He nods. "I ask again, what can't you do?" I turn back around when they start laughing and make my way to the 1994 collection. I think the best thing about the collection is that Mazio has everything in alphabetic order, making my search that much easier. I find the wine of choice and pull out the bottle to inspect the seal. "Perfectly preserved." I mumble to myself. Turning back around, I only see Mazio left in the doorway.

"He went to go start dinner." He says answering my unasked question. "Can I see the wine you selected?" I walk over and hand him the bottle. He looks at the label and lets out an appreciative whistle. "You my darling really know how to pick good wines. The Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port of 1994 is said to be the best one ever made. What made you choose such a fine wine?" He looks back up at me curiously.

I can feel the blush coming on as we stand in the open doorway. "When I graduated with my doctorial, my father came into town and took me out to celebrate. We went to a high-end restaurant, and he asked for this wine specifically and bought the bottle. I only had one glass of the wine, since I was driving that night, but I remember the taste was so vivid and smooth, that I have been searching for this wine ever since." I look down at the bottle in my hands, plagued with the memories of the last night I saw my father. "When I saw your collection I just had to see if you had it." I glance back up at him with tears in my eyes due to my memories. "I can pick another wine, if it doesn't suit your tastes?" As I try to make my way back to the rack, Mazio reaches out and grabs my wrist.

"You aren't telling me something, and I'll respect that my dear. But the wine that you have picked is excellent, and I would love nothing more then to share it with you." He walks over to the table by the couches and picks up a binder from the table. He flips through a few pages and then yells 'aha!' He walks back over to me and shows me the page of interest. "It says here that I have two cases of this wine in my storage, they are yours to take with you." I try to protest but he places his hand on my arm. "Do not be afraid to accept my gift. I can tell that you associate this wine with something sad, and I would be honored if you could now associate it with the adventures that today brings."

Stricken by emotion. I throw my arms around the man and give him a hug. "Thank you sir." Embarrassed by my actions I step back and look at him sheepishly, he just grins in response.

"Shall we go see what my dastardly nephew is up to in the kitchen?" He holds out his elbow, which I take. As we make our way through the house, he begins to tell me stories about how he acquired some of his furniture pieces. By the time we arrive to the kitchen my favorite story is about the table in the dining room connected to the kitchen. He received that table after Nico beat a chess grandmaster in a game of chess when he was 10 years old. The grandmaster was so shocked that he demanded a rematch and named the 150-year old table as the prize. Upon entrance to the kitchen, there is a delicious aroma that clings to the air. Mazio hums appreciatively and I look to the source. Nico is standing over the stove, adding sliced red peppers to his mix.

"Mijo, yo dehiste a ti que tu habilidades de la cocina esta perfecto." Mazio says going over to Nico. He looks at what's on the stove and asks for a bite. Nico grabs another spoon and gives him a sample. Mazio's face once he eats it reflects that he just ate pure heaven.

I laugh at his reaction and Nico turns to offer me a spoon. I shake my head and hold up the wine. "You can get me some glasses for this." He turns down the stove and walks to the cabinet above the sink for the glasses. He places the glasses down on the island (which is way bigger and nicer than mine), and gently slides them across before turning back to his edible masterpiece. I take to pouring wine for everyone and take a sip once it has been portioned out. A small moan of appreciation escapes me, and I feel myself blush. "So oh great chef, what is on the menu for tonight?"

Without turning his back to me Nico answers. "Shrimp stuffed mofongo with fried porkchops, also served with a side of rice."

"Mofongo?" I hear Mazio say something about Italians under his breath and I send a squinted look his way.

"It is freshly picked green plantains which are seasoned and fried, which are then mashed up like clumps of potatoes, small pieces of bacon, minced garlic, a little bit of vinegar, and a hint of salt all mixed together. It is very good. You will enjoy this. It is as authentic as some of the dishes that grace your table at home."

His uncle whips his head in my direction at the mention of Italian. "You make authentic dishes?" I nod my head. "Nico, if you let this one go, don't be surprised if I go after her." Mazio and me laugh at the look of scandal on Nico's face. "So señorita, what types of dishes grace your table?"

I giggle at Mazio's charm. "Well I make a pretty good pancetta and three cheese ravioli. It's a favorite for my kids and best friend. There's also…"

"Dad, you're home!" I hear the speeding bullet before it attacks Nico with a fierceness that I have never seen my kids attack me with. Once the 'bullet' has settled, I see that it's a young boy about 8 or 9, stands about eye level with the middle of Nico's chest, and has dirty blonde hair.

"Dad?" I hear myself say.

Mazio looks at Nico and his grandson, then back at me. "You didn't tell her?" Nico shakes his head. "Well mijo this is the time where I walk to the other room, and pretend I don't hear an Italian woman killing you. Good luck mijo, you are going to need it." With that, Mazio grabs his wine glass and walks out of the room.

The 'bullet' detaches himself from Nico and glances at me. "Dad, who is the pretty lady standing in the middle of abuelo's kitchen?"

I raise an amused eyebrow in Nico's direction. "Felix, this is Dani. She and I…well we are…" Its great to see that even the great Nico Careles can be intimidated, even if it is by his son who I had no knowledge about.

"You're together?" The boy asks.

"Exactly."

The boy's eyes go really wide with what I assume is excitement. "Do you have any kids? How old are they? Is any of them boys? Dad can I meet them please?" His questions come so quickly that I find myself laughing.

Deciding to help Nico out. "Well Felix, I have two kids. My son is 17 and his sister is 15. And you can meet them anytime your dad decides to bring you over to the house. I'll even cook dinner for you." I finish with a smile.

"She cooks Italian."

Felix's eyes get even wider and he looks back at Nico. "Dad, can I go live with her?"

"We'll see Felix," he catches my eye. "We'll see."

Once Nico finishes with his son, the kitchen descends into silence. Still completely unsure of where his son came from I walk over to Nico and put a hand on his arm, which tenses immediately.

"Felix, can you go with abuelo into the living room?"

"Sure dad."

"Just don't drive him insane." He says to the boy as he walks out of the kitchen. Once Felix is gone, he turns off the stove and faces my stony expression. "Felix isn't my biological child." I let out a sigh of relief. "You shouldn't have been worried Dani. I was planning on telling you about him tonight, I just didn't think he was home."

"So tell me about Felix."

He grabs my hand and walks us to the stools that surround the island. He sits us so that our knees are touching as we face each other. "Felix is actually my nephew. My brother was apart of my uncle's mob for a long time. At a certain point he came to the conclusion that he was invincible due to the protection that the mob gives him. What he didn't realize is that being apart of the mob makes you a bigger target. About 9 years ago, he left. He got married and a year later him and his wife had Felix." He grabs his glass and takes a generous sip. "A few months after Felix was born, a rival mob found my brother and decided to show him a lesson. He didn't realize the danger he was in until it was too late. One afternoon my uncle and I went to go take Felix back home from his appointment, and when we opened the door the scene that welcomed us was horrendous. My brother and his wife were executed in their living room, they didn't stand a chance." Another (bigger sip) follows. "Now here I am 8 years later with my nephew who thinks I am his father, and a responsibility that I never thought I would have."

I reach over and place my hand on his knee. "You have done a good thing Nico. I am sure that you're brother would've wanted you to take care of him."

He clenches his fists as a way to rid himself of his emotions. "That's the thing, he didn't. Antoni chose Uncle Mazio as his guardian and stated that if, and only if he couldn't care for him, then I would take him. Uncle Mazio knew the dangers that being a mobster has and he forfeited his rights to Felix. Antoni and I hadn't talked in almost 2 years when he was killed. The day we found him, Uncle Mazio said enough was enough and decided to force us to see one another. I came willingly since I wanted to get to know Felix. I always assumed we had time, but I guess life had other plans." He drains his glass of wine and goes back to the stove. His posture is very tense and I can see he is refraining from slamming the pots and pans that contain the dinner. Following his example, I drain my glass of wine then go to stand behind him. I place a hand on the center of his back. It takes a little while before he relaxes which is understandable. "You must think I am a monster Dani." He whispers over his shoulder.

"And why is that?" I ask just as softly.

He turns and looks at me with guilt marring his eyes. "Because I don't want to tell Felix about his father. His father was not a good man Dani. The things he did while in the mob were horrible. Not even Uncle Mazio knows the full extent of what Antoni was responsible for."

"You are doing what you think is right Nico. Isn't that something that you pride yourself on? You have done nothing but give your nephew a father who looks out for his best interest. I can't judge you for that." I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him. "You are a good person Nico. You need to remember that." I feel him hug me back and a soft smile breaks out onto my face. We sit in the comfortable silence until my stomach growls and I blush while Nico laughs. "So before we go eat I have a question. What is the men in your family's fascination with Italian women?"

"My grandmother was Italian, and my uncle's best friend is also Italian. Speaking of Sebastian, I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up as well. He has a way of knowing when I come home." I poke him in the shoulder. "Oh alright, the fascination is more with the cooking. Italian food is very similar to Spanish food, but the spices are different and the cooking style is unique. My uncle got used to eating Italian food when he was little and has never found someone who cooks authentic anymore. Felix is fascinated due to uncle's stories." He looks down at me. "You are really going to have to cook for them sometime." I frown, thinking of what dish I could make, and Nico tenses.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone just came through the garage." He moves out of our embrace and walks towards the kitchen door that leads to the main hallway. He walks halfway down the hallway before he smiles. "Sebastian, I was just talking about you. Come into the kitchen I'm in the process of cooking dinner." He turns back around and I hear footsteps coming from further down the hallway. I turn my back to grab my wine glass, and hear both men walk into the kitchen.

"And who might this lady be?"

Shocked by the voice of the person I turn around and drop my wine glass. "Dad…?" I see my father's face and see him mouth my name, but everything at that point becomes hazy. I take one last look at the man who I thought was dead before everything fades to darkness.

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><p>Translations:<p>

_Bienvenidos a la casa Careles_- Welcome to the Careles house.

_Hola Tio. Inglés por favor, Señorita Santino solomente habla Inglés y Italiano-_ Hello uncle. English please. Miss Santino only speaks English and Italian.

_Calmate hermano_- Calm down brother.

_Tio, te veo_- Uncle, see you later (slang)

_Mijo_- son

_Mijo, yo dehiste a ti que tu habilidades de la cocina esta perfecto_- Son, I keep saying that your skills in the kitchen are perfect.

_Abuelo_- grandpa.

**Sage-** okay so a few things. One, JD is related to Nico. I don't like JD at all, but since he was in the show I figured I'd include him as a very minor character. Two, the translations are not literal. They are moreso what the phrases imply. I find that translations lose a piece of the original intent.

I know that there is A LOT of emotion in this chapter, and I'm beginning to think that keeping to the episodes is going to be difficult (don't be surprised if I don't include anything from the episodes). The story is kind of developing on its own, and I am curious to see where its going to go without the influence of the episodes. Um…the next chapter should be up this week as well. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: **Alright guys I am back. All I can say is that I am seriously sorry about the 2-year delay. It was never my intention to abruptly abandon my stories but situations happen and well sometimes life gets in the way. Needless to say I am posting this chapter in the hope that you will all forgive me and have patience. I will be posting weekly from this point on until I finally wrap up the story.

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><p><em>Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep<em>

"Ray Jay kill the damn noise" Not even opening my eyes I tried to eliminate the noise that caused me to wake up. I hear footsteps to my left and turn my head to see a doctor walking up to my bed.

"Ms. Santino, how are you feeling today?" He asked not even looking up from his chart.

"It's Doctor Santino, and can you please explain to me what the hell I am doing here?" My irritation must have come off as genuine because the doctor in front of me looked up.

"My apologies Doctor Santino. Yesterday, you sustained a severe head injury to your right side of the occipital lobe. We kept you overnight for observation and need to do another CT scan to determine our next course of action. Do you remember what occurred yesterday that caused such an incident?"

"I received some shocking news yesterday is all." I attempt to sit up and the doctor moves to help me. "Has anyone been here?"

"I just sent a Mr. Careles outside. Two older gentlemen have here with you all night accompanied him. Would you like for me to send in the older gentlemen while you wait?"

"Yes please." He puts my chart down at the end of the bed and reminds me to press the button if I need anything. My thoughts were not on the conversation that the doctor was attempting to have with me, but were solely on the man walking through the door; one whom I have believed to be dead.

My dad walks over to my bed and sits at the end very tense, while Mazio is standing in the doorway. "Danielle, I…"

I hold up my hand silencing him before he starts. "Do you know the guilt that I have been putting myself through ever since that night? I thought you died dad. I was devastated. You don't understand the pain that I was in for so long after that, and even to this day." My eyes start tearing up and I try my hardest to keep them in, but they still manage to fall. "I used to think, maybe if I didn't ask you to come to town to celebrate then you would still be alive. But it has been 10 years dad. Your grandchildren used to ask about when they would get to see you again, but after about 3 months of me crying after they asked about you, they stopped." I wipe the tears from my face and look at my father. "Why are you here? Why did you even come to the hospital? More importantly why couldn't you just tell me you were okay?" At this point, my tears overpowered me and I began breaking down. I didn't even realize that Nico was back in the room until I felt him put his arms around me and hear him saying that everything was going to work out. I lean into Nico without looking back up at my father. I feel a hand come over, grab mine, and squeeze. Looking down at my hand I follow the arm until it leads back up to my father.

"We have a lot to talk about. But I promise you Danielle that I will explain to you what happened that night. I just need for you to trust that what I did, was in the best interest of our family. That being said, the threat is gone, and I am back for good." He gazes at my with such sincerity that I remove myself from Nico's embrace and launch myself (as much as the IV would allow me to) at my father. I sigh in contentment. This is what I have been missing for the past 10 years, the comfort that only my father can give me. He kisses the top of my head and then moves me back into Nico's side.

Looking around at the three men, I finally ask what's been on my mind. "So, how exactly did I end up in the hospital?" Laughter was my only answer. The rest of the afternoon continued with Mazio and my father catching up, while Nico hovered around in case I needed anything, which I didn't, but it was nice to know he cared. 2 hours after I woke up, I was sent for the second CT scan, and a good 3 hours later everyone was picking up their belongings to rendezvous at my house.

The car ride home was filled with rescheduling our dinner, questions about my job, and me panicking over the absence of Felix. The two older men chuckled while Nico looked uncomfortable.

Noticing his tighter grip on the steering wheel I turn my full attention to Nico. "What happened to Felix?"

He looked over at me seeing my genuine concern and minutely relaxed. "When you fainted and hit your head, we were overly concerned with getting you to the hospital that we brought Felix with us. When we got to the hospital and they gave us a prognosis, I called your family and informed them that you were at the hospital but fine and would be released tomorrow." He grip tightened further. "Your kids came to the hospital looking for you, and I met with them to explain what happened. Felix took an instant liking to Ray Jay, and then the offer of taking Felix back to your house was extended." He looked in the rear view mirror and glared at his uncle. "As I was about to decline, my uncle decided that it would be the best thing for all of us. So he gave your kids some money for food, movies, and anything else that Felix would need, and they left." He finished and tightened his grip again.

Knowing exactly why the 'adults' were chuckling I couldn't help but join them. Nico looked over stunned. I place my hand on the hand closest to me. "Nico it's fine really. I don't think Felix would have enjoyed a night in the hospital." He let out a sigh of what I am assuming was relief and focused back on the road. I turned to look at the men in the back and spoke with the hardest voice I have. "However, if anything is broken in my house. I am holding the two of you responsible." The appreciative glance from Nico was well worth the cursing that was directed my way.

Santino House, 12:47 pm

Three younger individuals opening the door and hurrying to greet us marked our arrival at the house. My two kids stopped upon seeing their grandpa and looked at me with questions in their eyes.

"Not out here, inside." Was all I needed to say for them to come hug me then pull me into the house. The kids decided that the living room was going to be the location of this battle, so I settled onto the couch and waited while everyone else got comfortable. Nico stood behind me, Ray Jay was sitting next to me with Lindsay next to him, and my father was on the other side of me. Mazio decided that him and Felix would be comfortable on the ground. We all looked at my father in anticipation of the circumstances that has kept him away from us for so long.

"Danielle, what I am about to tell you is hard, so please let me get through this once without any interruption and then I will answer any and all questions "

I nodded at my father and pulled Ray Jay closer to me for support.

"Eleven years ago, I was working late in the ER and had a patient enter into my operating room. This patient required a certain…. finesse, if you will. The wounds that they had sustained were severe. Multiple gun shot wounds, punctured lung, fractured ribs, severe head trauma, but what was most shocking was that this patient was still alive and somewhat aware of what was going on. Before I put him under, he looked at me and asked me to protect him. I gave him my assurance that I would do everything in my power to ensure that he lived and that seemed to be enough for him since he let me put the oxygen mask back on. The next five hours I considered to be the most intense since my first surgery. There were multiple scars and bullet fragments embedded in this man's body, that I was concerned with what he was involved in." He paused, for what I'm not to certain, but I could tell by his body tensing that this is where things got tricky. "The young man in question was in the military and his undercover operative has gone bad. After five hours of surgery and 2 hours of recovery, I was able to get a name, Aedon Samuels. He was no older than you were Danielle, and had gotten himself into trouble without even knowing it. I stayed with him for the remainder of my shift, and for the majority of my shifts for the time that he was in the hospital. For the following year, every time he would need someone to talk to, I was there. He was on his own and needed some guidance. That night that you called me, Aedon had asked to meet my family. Since your mother and I were no longer together, I concluded that he meant you and your sister. So we planned to introduce him to the family the day following your celebratory dinner. I had come to think of Aedon as a son. He took every praise from me with a humbled smile and every critique as motivation to become a better person. The night of your dinner, Aedon called as I was leaving and told me that we had to go. The people from his operative had found him and identified me as a target as well. I had enough time to go to my apartment, pack a bag, and get into a government car. My life from that point on was no longer my own. They sent both Aedon and I to the same place. We posed as father and son. Everything was going well, until about six months ago. One of the agents came to our door and told us we were on surveillance and could not leave the house. 2 days after that agent showed up, our house was attacked. Luckily, the police were already there otherwise…I don't see how we both would have made it out alive. " He stopped once more and I'm glad for it. I had tears streaming down my face. Just to imagine that my father went through all of that with someone who I don't even know, well that is too much for me to handle.

"And the last 6 months? Where have you been?" Ray Jay leaned over me to make sure his grandfather knew how serious and angry he was. I pushed him back to his place beside me and tried to calm him down.

"Dad," I started desperately trying to understand why he's been away for so long. But then it clicked. He needed to familiarize himself with his old life before jumping back into his old life. I took in a deep breath before starting again. "When do I get to meet my brother?"

"MOM!" I looked back at my son who was silently fuming. "You can't tell me that you are honestly okay with this? He left you without any reason and now he waltz back into our lives, and we are supposed to just forgive him?"

I understood my son's anger. Really I did. But it is moments like these that make me realize how much my children still have to grow up. "Yes Ray Jay, that is exactly what I am saying." I turn to look at him. "I understand you anger, I kept that inside of me for so long. And then it gave way to another emotion, sadness, which then turned to yearning. For the past 10 years all I have wanted is my dad to come back. Hell even news that he was alive would have sufficed, and yet here he is in our living room begging us to forgive his absence and trying to make up for lost time. It will be tough, but we are Santino's. Tough is what we do." I lean over and kiss Ray Jay's temple hoping he understands. He just nods his head and looks at Felix. Turning back to the man of the hour, I reissue my question. My father gazes at me with a proud look in his eye, a look that I have so desperately missed.

"If you could give me a few moments, I can give Aedon a call now. Perhaps he can come over for dinner?" I nod and wonder what I will cook. "Don't worry about cooking, I can make dinner tonight." Was the offer from my dad.

I laugh at him. "Don't worry papa, cooking will help me digest the information you just gave." He excuses himself to the other room. At this point, the silent Careles men decide to chime in.

"Dani you just got out of the hospital" "I can order something" "Does this mean I get to eat the awesome food abuelo is always talking about?"

I chuckle at the two eldest men as they look at Felix who has a sheepish look on his face. Deciding to ease his embarrassment I answer his question. "Yes Felix it does. What would you like to eat?" The little Careles gets an adorable look on his face.

"Daddy is she the same lady you told us about that said chicken…."

"Parmesan" I supply with a smile.

"That one. That it's one of her specialties?"

'Time to tease Nico' I whip around and look at the mysterious man behind me. "Mention me often Nico?"

"No" "Yes"

The look on the Felix and Nico's faces are priceless and sets everybody into fits of laughter. My father walks back into the room. "What did I miss?"

"Just abeulo embarrassing daddy." Offers Felix before getting off of the floor. "Ms. Dani, can I help you with dinner?" I swear these Careles men are all born with innate charm.

"Of course you can. If you would all excuse me for a moment, I need to go assess the food situation in my kitchen." I get up and make my way to the entranceway. I turn to my dad. "What time should I be expecting Aedon?"

"Six, cara."

"Molto bene" I restart my walk to the kitchen.

"I didn't know mom speaks Italian"

"Ray Jay, I am sure there is a lot about mom that we don't know yet. So grandpa…."

Everything else became drowned out by my own thoughts. Upon my separation from my family, I let out a deep sigh. It's almost too much to take in. It is great that my father is back and alive, but I still harbor immense anger. Shaking my head to disturb my thoughts, I aimlessly look through my cabinets taking stock of the ingredients I have and what I will need for dinner tonight. Losing myself in the menial task I don't notice anyone is in the kitchen until a strong arm wraps around my waist and a delicate kiss is placed on my temple.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I lean back into the comfort and safety that the warm body behind me offers and let out a small groan.

"Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if the one thing that was missing suddenly made an appearance? For ten years I have been so angry and feeling guilty in equal measures that I am unsure what my emotional range will be like now. Everything I have done until this point has been done to please the image of my father. And now that he is back, I am at a loss." I turn in Nico's arms and bury my face in his chest. "I just don't want to lose what I have gained."

His arms run up and down my back. "Are you talking about with your dad or us?" A muttered both was my reply. "Dani, I can only speak for myself when I say that now that I have you, you will not lose me. This coming from the man with the emotional range of a teaspoon, well that means a lot. I will do everything in my power to ensure that your family stays together. As for your father, I was watching him the entire time. He wants to be here Dani. I am quite sure there is no other place in the world he wants to be. I am just shocked that I didn't piece together that he is your father"

"He goes by a different name. Sebastian isn't his real name. It was the name they gave him in medical school because he reminded his partner of the saint." Nico nods his head.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

I turn in his arms and look into his eyes. "Promise me that no matter what, you will always explain why you are leaving. I don't need specifics, just…"

"I understand Dani. I'll try my best." He kisses me on the forehead. "I promise that no matter what, you will not be alone from this point on."

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><p>AAAAAANNNNNNNNDDDDDD that's it for this chapter folks. Yes I do realize that there is sooo much that I can elaborate on. But I'm planning maybe 14-15 more chapters…depending on how I can get this all back to the original of what I wanted…there can be more. However, I want to explore Dani's dad and Nico's family that I have introduced. I think it could be fun. We will get back to problematic TK and everything else. But Dani is with Nico and that's how it shall remain. Also if you review, leave me a little tidbit about where you think I should go. Should I incorporate the show story line or develop my own with the key characters from the show still apart of it?<p>

ALSO, is anyone else a bit upset with how they are portraying Dani? I mean yes she got out of a relationship with Matt, and hasn't been with anyone. But now instead of one potential love interest (Nico), her new boss maybe one…and it seems like next episode there is a young guy from V3? Yes I understand she needs to move on, but she has someone that she KNOWS right in front of her and she keeps passing him up for younger guys? COME ON! Nico is ridiculously hot, intelligent, and most importantly looks out for her and her family. She needs to hurry up and realize this before she loses him for good.

…And the rant is done. So leave me a little review. Let me know what you think. Don't mind my grammar errors, they are plentiful and will be a common occurrence. HAVE A NICE DAY!


	8. Chapter 7

AN: This will be a shorter chapter, but really fitting. We get to meet Aedon and Nico does some digging around in Sebastian's past. Tutto sommato dovrebbe essere interessante. Also, this chapter is to make up for this week. We had family surprise us yesterday so there is a possibility that posting while they are here will be impossible. SORRY!

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><p><strong>NPOV<strong>

Her father's real name is not Sebastian. That is definitely the reason why I did not make the connection sooner than yesterday. I'll just find out his actual name and do some searching on my own. As I stand in the kitchen, watching as Dani puts together dinner, I can't help but wonder what kind of trouble her adopted brother got into that warranted witness protection. Dani has started boiling the water when I find my opportunity to ask questions. "Dani, what is your father's real name?" she squints at me.

"Marsalis Romano, why do you ask?" I give her my working, emotionless face.

"Just going to check around and make sure that he really is out of danger." I walk over to her and engulf her in a hug. "I promised you wouldn't be alone. So I intend on keeping my promise Dr. Santino. Now let me do my job and I'll leave you to do yours." I kiss her forehead and walk into her office to make an important call. Scrolling to the only person I know that can get me enough information and fast, I make the call.

"Nico, what can I do for you?'

"Marshall, I need your help."

I hear his laughter on the other end. 'Really. The great Nico Careles needs my help? Well then what can I do to help?'

It never amazes me that even though we were battle buddies and Marshall has gone on to make a name for himself, he still sees me as the strong, independent leader that he once knew. "You still have those connections with the Joint Chiefs and the Marshalls?"

'Yes. Do I want to know why?'

"It would be better if you didn't ask questions. I need you to get me the files on one Marsalis Romano and Aedon Samuels. Whatever the cost is, I'll handle it."

'You know as your boss, I could take a look into these files.'

"I'm not asking my boss, Marshall. I am asking my friend and old comrade to help me find information about two people who are important." At this point I start pacing in the office.

'How important? Are we talking possible jail time?'

"No Marshall. It is personal. I need the information as soon as possible."

'I'll see what I can do. And Nico, thanks for Juliette. I know that it was you who got her the help.'

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I will be expecting your email." I hang up before he can say anything more. Running my hand through my hair, I begin to wonder how he knows I helped Juliette. It is inconsequential. Right now I need to focus on the Santino's. With my mind set on being as helpful as possible I return back to the kitchen. Felix is walking around the kitchen grabbing the breadcrumbs. I ruffle his hair and give him a smile. He gives Dani the case of breadcrumbs then comes to sit next to me at the island.

"Ms. Dani, what do we do now?" Sitting before Felix and I is a line up of different ingredients. At the start of the lineup is the cut chicken breast, followed by some sort of mixture, then the breadcrumbs poured in a bowl, and finishing with a cookie sheet. She beckons Felix over to her side of the island and when he arrives picks him up and puts him on a stool beside her.

"Well Felix, we are going to bread the chicken." He tilts his head to the side a bit in an intrigued look. "You look too much like your father when you do that." He smiles at her. "So we take a piece of chicken" she picks it up and places it in the mixture "And put it here. This acts like the glue for the breadcrumbs" She picks up the now wet piece of chicken and puts it in the breadcrumbs. "Now we take the breadcrumbs and make sure that they are all over the chicken." She takes Felix's hands and grabs breadcrumbs from the bowl and starts burying the chicken. He continues to bury it and then Dani takes the piece out and puts it on the cookie sheet. "After all the pieces are done, I put them on the stove for a little bit to seal in the breading and then place them in the oven. It is quite a simple dish. Would you like to bread a piece on your own?" Felix nods his head and begins his task very slowly.

Dani comes to stand beside me. "What's going on in that brain of yours Nico?" I turn to face the woman who has become the center of my life.

"Nothing too troubling Dani I can assure you of that. I am hoping to have the information I need about your family relatively soon. After that point, I can only imagine what precautions I will be taking to ensure the safety of this family." Her face becomes a bit closed off.

"I understand." She walks back over to Felix and I can't help but feel as though I have upset her with my less than forthcoming words.

"Felix, vaya con abuelo por favor?" He finishes his piece of chicken, gives Dani a kiss on the cheek, and runs back to the living room. Dani looks shocked.

"Nico, you got rid of my helper." I make my way over to her.

"I'll help you instead but first you need to know something. I am not the easiest man to live with that much I understand. But when it comes to the people I care about, nothing will stand in my way of making sure that they are safe. Even if what is safe for them, is not for me. That's my job Dani. I am not doing this to scare you, but the alternative of not checking could be dangerous." She continues to bread the chicken, but nods to show she understands. We work side by side until all the pieces of chicken are breaded. Ten minutes later, I am loading the chicken into the oven and setting the timer when I hear the distinct sound of my phone going off. I grab my phone and check the notification; it is an email from Marshall containing the documents I asked for. Perfect timing Pittman. Dani's guest of honor will be arriving in 20 minutes and I need to make sure I know exactly who he is.

**DPOV**

Nico's phone just went off and he has excused himself back to my office. I guess whatever it is, it's important. I have the kitchen to myself again and it gives me time to think. Do I really want someone to protect me? 'Of course you do Santino. Think of what can happen if someone is not there?' Right so I want protection no matter the cost? 'Yes and you have Nico. He won't let anything happen.' I let out a sigh…I just lost to my Jeanette sounding conscious. I gaze at the time and realize I have 15 minutes before Aedon arrives and the pasta is still cooking. Putting aside the rest of my thoughts for another time, I focus on finishing the task at hand.

"Ray Jay, Linds, and Felix, can you three come in here for a second?" I yell into the hallway. Felix and Ray Jay have a race into the kitchen, with Lindsay trailing behind them shaking her head and smiling at their antics.

"What's up mom?" Ray Jay grabs Felix and puts him over his shoulder.

"One, please put Felix down. He doesn't deserve your abuse. Two, can the three of you set the table? We are going to be using the actual dining room today since there are so many of us." I grab the plates down from the cabinet and place them on the counter for the kids to take to the table. Ray Jay grabs the plates, Lindsay takes the cups from the dishwasher, and I point Felix in the direction of the silverware. With that task being done, all that's missing is the salad and garlic bread. Right time to work.

-15 minutes later-

The final touches have been put on dinner, when the doorbell rings. "Moment of truth Santino." Is all I mutter to myself. I hear Nico snicker behind me and turn to face him. "What?"

He shakes his head and approaches me. "Nothing Doctor. Nothing at all." He puts his hand on my lower back and pushes me forward to meet my uncertain fate. Okay well not uncertain fate, more like meet the stranger who has become a son to my father. Semantics I guess. We get into the living room and are greeted by the sight of a man that is a bit shorter than Nico, brown hair, green eyes, has a small smile on his face, but still looks guarded as though he is waiting to be kicked out. 'Not in this house.'

I cross the room to formally introduce myself. "Hello Aedon. My name is Dani" and pull him into a hug. "Welcome to the family." My father is standing in my line of view and he has a big smile on his face. Aedon is trembling when I pull back from the hug. I ask what's wrong.

"I've never been apart of a family before." Was his reply. This causes me to hug him again.

"Well now you are part of mine." I give him a reassuring squeeze before pulling back. "Dinner is ready. So if you all would like to make your way to the dining room, we can get this show on the road." I loop my arm through Aedon's and lead him to the dining room hoping that every one else is following. When we get to the dining room and sit down everyone else has taken a seat. Felix, Ray Jay, Mazio and dad are already serving themselves, leaving everyone else to wait until they have finished. Once everyone has been served and started eating, Nico starts with his questions.

"So Aedon, how long were you in for?"

Aedon takes a sip of his drink. "Just over 6 years sir." Nico laughs.

"Don't call me sir. My name is Nico Careles. You can call me Nico."

"But sir" Nico glares at him "…Nico?" he smiles and Aedon continues, "You seem to already know that information. What I don't get is why you won't just ask what it is you want to ask me."

Nico looks at me and I give a hesitant nod. "Why did you choose that particular operation knowing the extended risks that came with it?"

Aedon pushes his empty plate aside and takes a deep breath. "When I enlisted in the Army, it was just me. I had been the system for as long as I can remember. Not once was I adopted. So I figured, I could take the dangerous missions and no one would miss me. For my first tour I was in Germany working as an aviation engineer, and then was offered the opportunity to 'infiltrate' a cell stateside. I jumped on that as soon as they made the offer. I got to come back to the states and yes it was dangerous but I'm glad I took it. The information I found was enough to put some of the most dangerous cells in the US behind bars. When they found I was the leak…I honestly did not expect to live. Imagine my surprise of waking up in a hospital with Dad over there standing over me." He smiles at my father. Nico seems somewhat satisfied but asks another question.

"Do you think the threat is fully gone?"

Aedon seems to stiffen and shakes his head. "These cells have so many connections, it is impossible to tell where one ends and another starts. They are all connected in one-way or another. The Marshalls told us it was safe to return to our old lives, but that was it. There were no assurances that the danger had passed, just an agent telling us that we could come back to New York."

Nico nods. "It is just as I thought." He stands up. "If you will excuse me, I have some calls to make." He comes over and whispers that he will be back later in my ear before kissing me on the forehead. Mazio looks at me questioningly and I shake my head at him. Ray Jay and Felix both start picking up the plates to take to the kitchen. Apparently Lindsay has stated that the kids will clean the kitchen. Smart kids.

The rest of us adults make our way back to the living room. It seems as though another conversation is about to happen. Before we get into the seriousness of what Nico discovered, I want to get to know Aedon a bit.

"So Aedon, what do you do for a living now that you are out of the military?"

"Well I have a nursing degree. I figured since dad is a doctor and saved my life, I could help him." I smile at him. Seems like he will fit in really well.

"Okay favorite color?"

He thinks for a second. "I'm going to have to say blue."

"You know that says a lot about you, right?"

My dad laughs. "Really Danielle, how does a color define someone?" I stick my tongue out at him causing him to laugh again.

"It is simple. Personality traits are defined by a large study of people who love the same color. This study looks at different aspects of one's life and helps define the important thoughts associated with those aspects. For instance, blue personalities are genuine and sincere, and always take their responsibilities seriously. Does that fit you?" Aedon nods. "I can give you a list of what a blue personality is, but regardless of that I want to get to know you. You have been with my dad for 10 years and that makes you my unofficial brother. You have to tell me your likes, dislikes, hell even your shoe size that way I have all the bases covered."

The three guys laugh at my enthusiasm. "Well I like reading, cooking, watching movies, swimming, and definitely your chicken parmesan. I generally just don't like being alone. After being alone for so long and then having dad in my life, well it would be hard to readjust to being alone again. And I wear a size 11."

Thinking about anymore potential questions I could have, I stop when I hear a yelp coming from the kitchen. I make my way to the kitchen and laugh at what I see. It seems as though the kids were having a water fight while cleaning the dishes and in their one track minds never noticed Nico walk in, resulting in him getting drenched. Hearing my laughter, Nico turns his glare from the kids onto me.

"Nico dear, you look like you are a bit wet." I say still chuckling at his appearance. "You look so unlike your normal tough guy self." This gets the kids giggling. Nico merely raises an eyebrow.

"Is that so Doctor Santino?" He slowly makes his way to me. He stops in front of me and looks down at me. He gives me a smile before grabbing me, turning me around, and telling the kids to and I quote "fire at will". The kids start turning the water on me, causing me to scream and effectively getting Nico and I soaked. When the "water torture" has ended, Nico lets me go and I punch him in the chest much the amusement of the other guests in the house. Aedon walks over to me with a towel.

"Dad went and got it, but I figured you could use this." I grab the towel from him and glare at Nico.

"This is what a gentleman should have done, instead of making me get another shower." Nico laughs.

"I never said I was a gentleman Dani." He walks over and takes the towel from me. "Besides your next shower can be much more interesting." He says in a low voice so only I hear him. I feel myself flush. Of course the man has no qualms about saying such things in the presence of others. He never plays fair. Without moving too far from me he beings giving instructions. "Tio, can you go grab my bag from the car? It has an extra set of clothes for Felix and I." Mazio nods and heads outside. "Sebastian and Aedon, if you two wouldn't mind cleaning up the remaining water. It would be greatly appreciated." He turns to look at the kids. "Okay you three need to shower and change." He looks at Felix's hair "I don't think I want to know how the extra pasta ended up in your hair mijo. Right so let's all go our separate ways, then meet back here in say 30 minutes and we will go for dessert, my treat." At the mention of dessert, everyone else splits leaving Nico and I in the kitchen.

I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. "I do believe you promised me an interesting shower." I pull his head down for a heated kiss before letting him go and walking up the stairs. "Well you have 25 minutes to fulfill your promise."

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><p>Finis: Well this chapter at least. Just to let you know, I will not be upping the rating on this just yet. It is going to take some working up to. The best part of writing is letting the reader's imagination run wild, so imagine what you will my friends ;D Yes I do realize that I have brought Marshall Pittman into the story, and no I do not know what I'm going to do with him yet. Will he live or will he die? I'm unsure but I should also reiterate that I may not get another chapter up this week. I do apologize, so I hope this somewhat lighthearted chapter suits everyone's fancy. Have a good holiday!<p> 


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